Does Allstate’s Drivewise Really Save You Money?

Last Updated on October 20, 2026

By James Shaffer · Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 16, 2026 · How we fact-check

With car insurance rates rising across the country, more drivers are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing coverage. One of the biggest “maybe” discounts is usage-based insurance (UBI), also known as telematics—where your price is influenced by how (and sometimes when) you drive.

Most of the biggest car insurance companies now offer a telematics option. Allstate’s program is called Drivewise, and it’s designed to reward safer driving habits with discounts or credits. The big question: does it really save you money?

Quick answer: Drivewise can save you money, but it’s not guaranteed

Drivewise can lower your premium if you drive smoothly, avoid late-night trips, and keep high-speed events to a minimum. But the size of the savings depends on your state, your driving patterns, and how Allstate applies Drivewise in your area. In some states, Drivewise is treated more like a rating factor than a simple discount. Allstate’s own page says that while your rate could increase with high-risk driving, most drivers will save, and it carves out New York from the rate-increase language.

So the best way to think about Drivewise is this: it can be a real money-saver for the right driver, but Allstate never promises a set percentage, and it doesn’t publish one.

What is Allstate Drivewise?

Drivewise is Allstate’s usage-based program (telematics) that lives inside the Allstate mobile app. It uses your phone’s sensors and location services to detect trips and measure certain driving behaviors. If you’re still comparing insurers, this pairs well with a broader look at Allstate auto insurance—since telematics is just one piece of the overall pricing puzzle.

Unlike older plug-in devices, Drivewise is app-based. In practice, that means you’ll want your phone powered on, location permissions enabled, and battery life strong enough to record trips consistently. (If you’re curious how this compares to other safe-driving apps, check out these safe driving apps.)

What Drivewise tracks (and what usually impacts your score)

Drivewise collects a lot of trip data, but most drivers care about the handful of behaviors tied to savings. While details vary by state, Drivewise commonly focuses on:

• Speed: Allstate measures speed against the local limit, not a fixed number. Its wording is “staying under speed relative to your local speed limit,” so a 45 mph road can produce a speeding event just as a highway can.
• Hard braking / sudden stops: Frequent “slam-on-the-brakes” events are a common complaint, especially for city drivers. If you’re wondering how this can affect pricing more broadly, see whether hard braking affects your auto insurance rates.
• Time of day: Allstate publishes the hours it counts. Highest risk is 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends. Noon to 11 p.m. on weekdays is moderate risk. If you work nights or drive late on weekends, this category is hard to win.
• Phone activity: Allstate lists this with the other three, not as an extra. On the program page it names “speeding, sudden braking, phone activity and late-night driving” as the behaviors that may push your price up.

One important note: hard braking isn’t always “bad driving.” Sometimes it’s defensive driving—like when the car in front of you stops suddenly. Rear-end crashes are common, and while fault rules vary, it’s worth understanding scenarios like whether you’re always at fault if you hit someone from behind so you can see why insurers take sudden stops seriously.

How much can Drivewise save?

The honest answer is that Allstate doesn’t say. There is no percentage and no dollar figure on the Drivewise page or in its support FAQs. What Allstate does commit to: a discount just for enrolling, in an amount that varies by state, and then a personalized rate at renewal based on how you actually drove.

Two numbers decide whether you see anything at all. The ongoing participation discount needs at least one driver on the policy to log at least 50 trips before the renewal is processed. And the price you get reflects your past 12 months of driving, or 6 months at the first renewal. Miss the 50 trips and there is nothing for Allstate to reprice. For a baseline on what Allstate customers pay before any of this, start with the average Allstate auto insurance policy cost.

Allstate does publish one number about Drivewise, and it is about crashes rather than price. In an April 2024 release, Allstate said customers who use Drivewise are 25% less likely to have a severe collision than those who don’t. In the same release, comparing Drivewise users with other connected drivers across the 100 most populous U.S. urban areas, it reported 44% less phone handling while driving, 23% less of the driving distance at high speed, and an 11% lower rate of hard braking. Those are driving outcomes, not discounts.

When Drivewise is worth it (and when it’s not)

Drivewise tends to be worth trying if you:

• Drive mostly during the day
• Do more suburban/highway driving than stop-and-go city driving
• Brake gradually and keep plenty of following distance
• Want feedback that helps reinforce safe habits

Drivewise may be frustrating (or not worth the hassle) if you:

• Drive in heavy congestion where hard braking is hard to avoid
• Regularly drive late at night (work shifts, long commutes, nightlife)
• Share a car frequently and don’t want to constantly correct “who was driving” in the app
• Have privacy concerns about location-based trip tracking

How to get the most out of Drivewise

If you enroll, your goal isn’t to drive “perfect.” It’s to avoid patterns that consistently trigger negative events. These habits usually help without changing your life:

• Increase following distance: Fewer surprise stops = fewer hard-braking dings.
• Coast early: Ease off the gas sooner so you brake less aggressively near lights and traffic.
• Watch peak-risk hours: Allstate counts 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends as highest risk. Shifting a late errand to the morning is the cheapest change on this list.
• Log enough trips: The participation discount needs at least one driver on the policy to reach 50 trips before the renewal is processed, so keep the app on and the permissions in place.
• Ask how it works in your state: Before you commit long-term, confirm whether Drivewise is “discount-only” or can also affect your renewal pricing. Allstate says savings aren’t available in California or Alaska at all.

If Drivewise doesn’t save you money, try these instead

Telematics is only one lever. If Drivewise isn’t a good fit (or the discount is underwhelming), focus on traditional discounts and smart shopping. Start by checking what discounts Allstate offers for car insurance, and compare quotes at renewal—because carrier pricing changes fast.

FAQs on Allstate Drivewise

Final word: does Allstate Drivewise really save you money?

Drivewise can absolutely save you money—especially if you drive smoothly, avoid late-night trips, and keep your high-speed and hard-braking events low. But savings aren’t universal, and in some states the program can have more impact than a simple “discount.” If you’re comfortable with app-based tracking, it’s often worth testing for one policy term and then deciding based on your real-world results. My advice is to write down your current premium the day you enroll, then compare it against the renewal notice. That is the only number that settles the question for your own car. Either way, the biggest long-term wins usually come from consistent safe driving habits and regularly shopping your options.

Sources

Checked October 4, 2026

• Allstate — Drivewise Program Page
• Allstate — Drivewise Support FAQs
• Allstate — Newsroom Release on Drivewise Collision and Behavior Data, April 17, 2024